HBHA students did not have school on Monday, Feb. 17, 2014 for Presidents’ Day. While this national holiday happens every year, many students used this weekend to their advantage for a variety of fun activities. For some, it meant enjoying a relaxing weekend at home, and for others it meant traveling out of town.
The National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY) held Conclave over the weekend at the Hilton hotel in Bloomingdale, Ill. HBHA Senior Ricardo Zepeda enjoyed spending the weekend with his friends at the convention.
“It was so much fun. On Sunday, there were a few activities you could choose from.” Said Zepeda. “You could go to a movie, skiing, snowtubing, or snowboarding. I went snowtubing, and I really had a great time.”
Eighth grader Julia Paul also went out of town over Presidents’ Day weekend. Paul traveled to Arizona with her cousin, second grader Nathan Rose.
“It was really fun,” said Paul “We went swimming, and we also went to a place that was like Skyzone, but my favorite part was being with my family.”
Other students stayed in town, but that didn’t stop them from enjoying themselves. First grader Yonatan Rich played in a basketball game over the weekend.
“I dribbled down [the court] two times and I blocked some shots. We lost, but it was fun.” Said Rich.
Ava Randall, another first grader, saw a new action-packed movie. “I went to see The Lego Movie!” Exclaimed Randall. “It was funny and there was fighting and a lot of bad guys!”
Sophomore Zach Kreisler also remained in town for the weekend. He filled his extra time off from school by watching the Winter Olympics. When asked what the best part about watching the Olympics was, he enthusiastically replied “watching curling.”
“I enjoyed seeing the technique used for sweeping.” Added Kreisler. “I liked how efficient the sport was as a whole.”
Students weren’t the only ones who appreciated having an extra day off from school. Teachers benefited from Presidents’ Day as well. Jane Girson, a first grade teacher, went to New York over the weekend. Girson visited New York “for the [American International] Toy Fair.”
Girson added, “It’s a giant market of people who have toy stores. [They come] from all over the world.”
Presidents’ Day allowed the HBHA community to take part in exciting activities they would not be able to get to on a regular weekend. For this reason, both students and teachers are looking forward to the next Jewish holiday in March, Purim.